The president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, promulgated on March 8 a law that creates the Ministry of Women and Gender Equality, which she defined as “a new, more robust institution with more tools.”

The statute, which was approved on the Parliament on January 28, replaces the current National Women’s Service (Sernam) as maximum state agency dedicated to the issues of Chilean women.

Anyway, the president stressed that “all ministries must work in equality policies, not only of Women”.

Bachelet said that the Ministry of Women will strengthen “the work for equal opportunities between men and women and the fight against all forms of gender violence” and recalled that with the quota law, which is part of the reform of the election system , “at least four out of ten candidates to the Parliament be female”.